Warning: Lee Rider Jeans Make Huge Mess

I recently bought two pairs of Lee Rider Jeans. I have bought this brand before with no issues, but this time was much different.

There was a tag that said to wash separately due to the dye. No problem, I've bought other jeans that said the same thing. I had to scrub out the washing machine; the white paper towel turned dark blue. I washed the jeans twice.

 

 

Not sure what this stuff that came off the jeans is, but it looked like I washed them with a roll of toilet paper. This stuff was all over the jeans, all over my washer, and all over my floor. 

The first picture is the cleaning cycle I had to run after washing the pants. Notice the water is very dark blue with that paper floating in it. Not only gross, but if I had not run a cleaning cycle my next load would have been ruined. I wiped out my washing machine a second time. Then I just ran it with just water until it came out mostly clear, about 3 more times.

The jeans looked fine after being washed twice, but this process should have been done at the factory, not my home. I will certainly wash them separately until I am sure they will not ruin other clothes. I doubt I will buy any more from this company.

Marie-Anne

Girls' Day In

Sabrina and I played game after game while the boys were away.

Skippity is a fun checkers-meets-peg game. You start off with the entire board, except the four middle squares. covered in different colored checkers. Each player jumps pieces and takes the ones they jumped. We have been able to jump up to four at a time. When no more jumps can be made the game ends. Scoring is based on how many complete sets of each color you got.

Race to the Treasure is a  cooperative game, which is definitely for younger kids, (but I did not know that when I got it). The youngest player rolls the dice to see where the keys and Ogre Snacks go on the grid; ex D1.  Then players take turns drawing cards and deciding how to turn the path tiles beginning at the start and continuing the path. The goal is to collect 3 keys before you draw all 10 Ogre tiles.

The Ogre has only won once or twice, but as I said the game is for younger kids. So maybe he has more of a chance with them. I got the game used last year, but it was missing the dice. I contacted the company and they sent me replacement dice free even though they knew it was used!

Gimme Gimme Guinea Pigs is a cute card game. It does require a table or space to lay out the cards. Players keep 7 cards in their hands at all times. The rest of the cards are face down on the table. Players take turns flipping a cards and discarding a card. If you get a PAWS card everyone has to pass three cards to the left. The goal is to get 7 of the same animals.

Herding Cats is another fun simple card game. Player keep three cards at all times. If you can play a card you must even if it helps another player. You start by laying down a cowdog, but if you do not have one you discard a card and draw one from the draw pile. Once someone plays a cowdog you can play the same color cat on him or the WILD Catlady. The player who plays the third card on a cowdog gets the stack. The Stampede Card allows you to go through the discard pile and play all cats that can be played on the cowdogs that are on the table. The person who played the stampede card card keeps any sets they complete. Play continues until you run out of cards.

Outfoxed is one of Sabrina's favorite games. It is a cooperative game where players work together to figure out who the thief is. On each turn players declare whether they are looking for clues or suspects before rolling the three dice. They have 3 tries to get all dice matching the symbol they are looking for. If they do they either get to turn over two suspects or move the number of paws. If  the dice don't all match what they are looking for the fox moves 3 spaces. If the player lands on a clue space they insert a clue into the cluefinder to see if the thief has the item on the clue. Players win if they can figure out who the thief is before the fox reaches the end of the board.

This is another game that seems like it would be for younger kids, however, all of Sabrina's friends love it when she brings it to game days. The fox does win about 30% of the time.

Googly Eyes is Pictionary with messed up vision. It is fun if the glasses do not give you a headache. Sabrina and I can play it fine, though the blue glasses do start to give me a headache if I leave them on past the 45 seconds I'm drawing. Frank and Alex cannot play because they get headaches from the glasses.

Me Want Cookies! is a speed game. Players roll a dice to see what dessert to start with. Then they follow the crazy twisting trail to see which other dessert it is connected to. The first player to grab the correct dessert wins the cards. Some cards are simple and others are harder.

Flashlights & Fireflies is a game that Sabrina got last Christmas that got buried on the game shelf. I'm not sure if we played it correctly, so I will wait to give it a review. We did enjoy it, but I will have Frank read the directions or watch an online review because I found the instructions confusing.

Marie-Anne

Christian DVDs for kids

I am always on the look out for Christian DVDs for the kids. I am sure other parents are too, so I will share some I found. The series I share today are suitable for preschoolers, though some will also appeal to older kids too.

Veggie Tales is a very familiar show. The talking veggies teach morals and faith in God. Sabrina (6) still loves it. Alex (10) will watch the new to him shows, but he doesn't choose Veggie Tales any more. I enjoy some of the shows too.

Hugglers is definitely a preschool show. It is very cute and Sabrina watched it over and over when she was younger. The episodes take place in a preschool Sunday School class. The "kids" have very different and even stereotypical personalities, yet they learn to work together and get along as they learn Bible stories.

Boz is a Christian cartoon version of Barney. It has a very positive family environment with loving and involved parents and grandparents. The character of Boz is a bit goofy. This DVD has the kids learning to do chores and helping others. The characters pray and talk about God. There are some cute songs at the end of each episode. It is a good preschool DVD.

3,2,1 Penguins is super silly, but also contains some profound lessons for kids. It quotes the Bible and teaches lessons like sharing and getting along with others.  Alex recommends it for ages 5-8.

Read and Share Bible is a good way for young kids to learn Bible stories. It is a little bit slow paced, so it probably would not hold the interest of older kids as well.

What's in the Bible? spans age groups. Alex loves this as much as Sabrina. This series teaches a lot about the Bible, in fact, I was a bit surprised about how in depth the lessons are. It also includes a bit of church history. Yet, the puppets are silly and very entertaining. 

Beginners Bible is a series that I do not believe is on DVD, but Sabrina watches complete episodes on youtube. These are a lot of the most well known Bible stories and they stick very close to the Bible, with a few funny things thrown in, (ex. Noah's sons licking their lips while Noah prays for food. Nothing that in any way detracts from the story.) This is a series that can span age groups as well.

These series can be found at a Christian bookstore, on Amazon, ordered directly from the producers, or maybe even the library.

I plan on doing more posts on other kids' Christian DVDs soon. If you know of others leave a comment.

Marie-Anne

Game Night- Candyland

Since Sabrina liked Candyland so much when we played it on Thanksgiving, I bought her her very own game. I lost track of how many times she and I played yesterday while the boys were busy. We also played once as a family.

I am not sure when Candyland became a girls' game, but Alex pointed out that all the player pieces were girls and asked if he could use a minifig instead. The version I played as a kid had primary colored gingerbread men. It also had cards instead of a spinner, but I do not mind that change. I actually looked it up and am very glad they got rid of the 2010 and the 2013 game boards, in which several characters were way too sexy for a little kid game. This version is a nice one, (my second favorite) but my favorite would be the 80's version I played as a kid- nostalgia.

Update:
Sigh, last year I posted about the cheaply made games that are on sale this time of year. Well, this version of Candyland is another example of that; I bought it for less than $5 yesterday and already the game board is in two pieces. Hasbro ought to be ashamed of themselves!

Even though it's only five bucks I will be returning it to the store on principle. I just read reviews of last year's version and many people had problems, but didn't return it because it was only five bucks. If you have the same problem we had then Hasbro ripped you off and will continue ripping people off unless customers demand their money back.

Marie-Anne

Cheaply made games

This is a review (rant) about how cheaply games are made!  We got a lot of new games for Christmas, including the Trouble game pictured above. The "board" is a piece of thin cardboard that I had to put onto the cheap plastic back ground. I cannot believe how the same game when I was a kid was so much better made. I've seen knock-offs that were better made than this game from a leading toy and game manufacturer! Shame on them for passing this piece of junk off on the public! I tried to send them an e-mail complaint, but I would have to sign up just to send them an e-mail.

I'm going to try to find one of the older, much superior version at a thrift store.

Marie-Anne

Game Night

I picked up the Old McDonald Pop 'N Match game on clearance at Big Lots. I'm glad I did Sabrina loves this game- I've lost count of how many times I've played it with her.

The Old McDonald Pop 'N Match game is a very simple matching game. A dice is in a pop container, like Trouble, the dice has pictures of each animal and a -1. If you get -1 you have to put one animal back. The object of the game is to be the first to complete your game card. As I said, simple, but fun.

Marie-Anne

Kumon workbooks

For Alex’s third b-day Elexa sent him some Kumon First Steps workbooks. They are wonderful. Now that Sabrina is three she is doing them. There are some that Alex didn’t do and some new ones that came out after he was older. Alex and Sabrina are doing some of those together.

He’s seven and they are for younger kids. True, but they are a good review of some skills he doesn’t use too often and they help solve another problem. Most of Alex’s school is on the computer or independent study. He was jealous that I was spending more time with Sabrina. Most of their school is still done separately, of course, but now I get to spend time with both of them working on the same thing at the same time.

This has worked out beautifully and they actually encourage and help each other. They LOVE doing this and both kids ask to do the workbooks every day, (sometimes more than once).

Marie-Anne

Why Target is awesome

After the Not Back to School Party I took the kids to a Target near Frank's work. We each got an Icee, (Sabrina's first time having a whole one). Alex dropped his and as I was telling the cashier a worker showed up with a mop. Impressive.

While we were looking at toys Sabrina said, “It hurts. My body hurts.” When I asked her where she pointed to her throat and stomach. When we got to the front of the store she threw up. I tried to make my way to the bathroom when she threw up again even more. It was on her clothes, my clothes, the box of diapers and the floor.
A lady who I'm assuming is the manager was there immediately with a bag and giving other employees instructions. She kept Sabrina calm and handed me paper towels. She even asked if I needed to step away. Then she instructed another employee to get Sabrina a dress and me a shirt from the clearance rack. She walked with us to the bathroom and continued to help. I offered to pay for the clothes, but they gave them to us for free.

The response and customer service were outstanding. I will gladly switch to this store.

(After throwing up Sabrina was fine, she even twirled to show off her princess dress. She won't be getting a whole Icee again for a long, long time.)

Marie-Anne

WebRanger

A while back Alex became a Jr. Park Ranger at Lake Mead. He was so excited about it that I decided that he will work on becoming a web ranger over the summer. He started tonight and has already completed 15 of the 50 activities. He wanted to do more!

The reading is above his level so I read it, but he did the activities on his own. Most of the activities he did were labeled easy, but he also did a few of the medium ones without any trouble. He has not attempted any of the hard activities.

Once he completes all activities he will receive a patch. It’s free and educational so check it out:



Marie-Anne

Time 4 Learning

Alex played Time 4 Learning’s free game and lessons. I liked what I saw so we ordered a month’s subscription. If you are not satisfied and cancel within two weeks you get a refund. He has access to a grade above and below his current grade. There is a “playground” where he can play games after he completes the lessons.

Likes

Short lessons on many topics
I set how long he can spend in playground
Access to several grades
Track progress easily
Interactive lessons
Some worksheets are very good

Dislikes

Some multiple choice quizes have 3 answers usually with one crazy answer
Some optional worksheets are boring
1st grade had very few science and no social studies lessons
1st grade science seemed too easy

Kindergarten

I did not plan to use kindergarten, but Alex had trouble with first grade math and Language Arts. He was getting very frustrated so I moved him back to kindergarten to boost his esteem. It worked! He is flying through the kindergarten level and really enjoying the games and getting 100% on most of it.

First Grade

Science: Alex’s favorite subject is science so we were disappointed that there were only a few science lessons and they were too easy. Alex finished them all in two days. We are glad he has access to second grade.

Math: Alex was having trouble with first grade math. He was even having trouble with things he already knows, I’m not sure why. He was getting very frustrated so I moved him to kindergarten math.

Language Arts: Alex is having trouble with this although he is reading on this level, so I moved him back to kindergarten level.

Second Grade

Science: Alex is really enjoying the second grade science lessons. In second grade he has to read some of the lessons himself. I have to be there to help him with words he doesn’t know. It is working out good for us.

Social Studies: Social Studies covers map skills. Alex already knew most of this information, but this was his first time using this knowledge. I like how they challenged him.

Third Grade

Social Studies: Since Social Studies starts at the Second Grade level Alex also has access to Third Grade. It has some really interesting subjects, but the reading is too advanced so for now we are not using it.

Overall I like Time 4 Learning. I am glad that we got it, but since Alex is flying through the lessons we plan to only keep it for two or three months. We may subscribe again when he’s ready for the Third Grade level. (I am receiving nothing for this review, I am only sharing how it worked out for us.)

Marie-Anne

Great Homeschool finds

At Dollar Tree I found 4 Story Starter packs. They ask a question and have room for a creative story and a drawing. Each pack has 50 story starters. (If any of you who homeschool want me to pick some up for your kids leave a comment.) I also got a History Mystery game. At the thrift store I got three Reader’s Digest Liberty Kids DVD’s. I just got them today and Alex has watched them repeatedly.

Marie-Anne

Brain Quest

I have several of the Brain Quest decks and Alex has enjoyed using the preschool and kindergarten ones. Then for his b-day he got the Brain Quest Kindergarten Workbook. It is great and covers a wide range of material. Alex is already about ¾ ‘s of the way done and he’s only had the workbook for less than a month! He will be getting the first grade workbook for Christmas. I also plan on using Brain Quest with Sabrina.

Marie-Anne

Rocket Readers

Several years ago I bought a whole bunch of Rocket Reader Bible stories at a discount at a dollar store. (Great deal!) I have a shoebox-sized container full of these books. Alex is now reading the beginner level ones to me. I really like these Bible stories told in simple words. Not only that, but many of the stories are not the common stories every kid knows and they have cute pictures.

Marie-Anne

Hooked on Phonics Update

Alex has been using Hooked on Phonics for a while now. We haven’t done it everyday, but he just turned 5 and is reading at a first grade level. He has been reading beginning readers to me and to Sabrina. I am quite pleased with his progress.

Marie-Anne

Imaginext Pirate Ship

At Savers I found the Imaginext Pirate Ship for only $4. It doesn’t have any of the pirates that come with it, but it was $4 instead of $34. Alex can save up and buy some of the extra pirates. He was surprised when I brought it home, and he’s been playing with it most of the afternoon and night.

I love the Imaginext toys. Alex can spend hours using his imagination with these toys. And now they have a girl castle set too. Alex keeps telling me I have to get the Precious Places for Sabrina and he needs two princesses to be his king’s daughter and wife.

Marie-Anne

Game Night

Yesterday I got the Learning to Listen Pizza Palace Game from Playskool Games. It is a memory game. Frank, Alex and I played last night for game night. I flipped over 3 cards and Frank and Alex had to pay attention. Then I flipped the cards back over and they had to make my pizza. It has some real pizza toppings and some crazy stuff like soccer balls and smelly socks. Frank was busy making jokes and twice he couldn’t remember what went on the pizza and Alex forgot once. It was a lot of fun. In fact, the first thing Alex wanted to do this morning was play the game again.

I also got Learning About Manners Picnic Basket Game, but we have not played that one yet. (I got both games at Target on clearance.)

Marie-Anne

Postnatal Power Taebo Workout

I checked out Postnatal Power Taebo Workout with Shellie Blanks Cimarosti from the library. I love it! I have NOT been exercising for a looong time. Right now 20 minutes is a workout for me. I like the fact that Shellie filmed this DVD 10 weeks after having her baby. She’s very understanding and encouraging. Even if you didn’t just have a baby if you are new to exercise I highly recommend this DVD. If nothing else check it out from the library, like I did and try it. This is one I will be checking out again, or buy it.

Marie-Anne

Daily Bible Journal

My sister-in-law, Annette, got Frank and me both a Daily Bible Journal for Christmas. It has been a huge blessing. During the day we separately do the reading and journaling. When Alex goes to bed we compare notes. It is amazing how we can read the very same passages and get something completely different out of it. We both look forward to this every day. I get more out of Bible reading and I know I have grown closer to the Lord and to my husband as a result of this gift. Thank you, Annette.

Marie-Anne

Tales of Glory toys at Dollar Tree

I am so excited that I found the Tales of Glory Toys at the Dollar Tree! These are great bible character toys that I got for Alex a while back. He keeps them in the tub and plays with them every single time he takes a bath, though they aren’t bath toys. I bought every single one they had and even went to another Dollar Tree hoping they would have them. I am going to give these toys out for Easter presents to the kids at church. I even got a couple of them that Alex didn’t have.

Marie-Anne

Guess what I am!

Guess What I Am! I saw this game advertised today and I love it. I went to the website:

http://www.guesswhatiamgame.com/

I am planning on buying this for my children and also for my brother’s kids. This is a game that I will enjoy playing with Alex and Sabrina, (when she’s old enough). It’s silly fun and think of the great scrapbook page you can make using the faces! This will make for a great family night!

Marie-Anne